Due to the increasing popularity of GPS based automatic steering systems in agricultural tractors, it has become important to develop a strategy to tune the closed loop steering control system for maximum accuracy over a wide range of applications. Some manufacturers today provide one or more user adjustable gains that are used to tune the closed loop control system for optimal performance when the implement is engaged in the ground. However, the control gains obtained with the implement in the ground are often too high when the automatic steering system is engaged while the implement is raised. This condition is common when acquiring the GPS track or when crossing waterways or lanes in the field. The high gains selected with the implement lowered in the ground for maximum accuracy cause undesirable steering oscillations when the implement is raised, especially on tractors with pneumatic tires. The tractor dynamics change considerably when the implement is raised and the high closed loop gains in the steering controller excite the tractor yaw resonant frequency. The steering control system gains may also be too high if a field soil condition is encountered that is significantly different than the condition present during the original tuning. When soil conditions change from soft to hard, the system damping decreases allowing the closed loop steering controller to excite the tractor yaw resonant frequency. If steering oscillations are present when acquiring the GPS track with the implement raised, a longer distance will be required for track acquisition. Planting and bedding applications require that the tractor be on track in the shortest distance possible when turning around at the end of the field with the implement raised. When oscillations occur due to varying soil conditions, steering accuracy is reduced. In each of these cases, the operator is forced to make a gain compromise between steering oscillations when the implement is raised and high accuracy when the implement is lowered. In some cases, the steering oscillation amplitude increases until the user is forced to turn the steering system off and lower the gain. Accordingly, a method is needed to automatically adjust the steering control system gains during track acquisition, when the implement is raised, or when steering oscillations are present. Further, this method must allow the user to tune the steering system for maximum accuracy without the penalty of poor system performance with a raised implement.